Heart O' Texas Fair And Rodeo Reacts To Las Vegas Shooting

Heart O' Texas Fair And Rodeo Reacts To Las Vegas Shooting

After the Las Vegas mass shooting, Waco's Heart O' Texas Fair and Rodeo has been forced to change its plans.

Oct 6, 2017 by Hunter Sharpless
Heart O' Texas Fair And Rodeo Reacts To Las Vegas Shooting

The Heart O' Texas Fair and Rodeo is one of the most entertaining events in Central Texas, and has been for over 60 years. The folks in Waco have brought nearly 200,000 people from across the state and country last year, enticing the crowds with the comforts of the Lone Star State: country music, fried food, and rodeo.

This year, however, the fair may feel a bit different.

After the October 1 mass shooting in Las Vegas, the Heart O' Texas is putting a focus on security measures, as reported by Ke'Sha Lopez of KWTX News 10 earlier this week. 

“None of us are immune to these types of acts and so we work very, very hard to ensure the safety for all of those who are attending the Heart of Texas Fair and Rodeo," said Wes Allison, the Heart O' Texas CEO. 

Guns will be banned during the event, which runs October 5-14, even for permit holders.

In addition, two of the musical artists who had been scheduled to perform in Waco were present in Las Vegas on the night of the Route 91 Harvest attack. One of them, the Josh Abbott band, has decided to cancel their appearance at Heart O' Texas, as reported by KWTX News 10's Taina Maya.

The Las Vegas Strip shooting left 59 dead and more than 500 injured when 64-year-old Stephen Paddock opened fire from the 32nd floor of the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino; it is considered the deadliest mass shooting in modern U.S. history.